Today Is National Safe Digging Day

Today (August 11) has been designated as National Safe Digging Day.

The day is designed as a reminder to practice safe digging techniques, including calling 811 in Wyoming to find out about buried utility lines, as mandated by state law. Callers to 811 will reach Wyoming One-Call, a free service that arranges for a professional to mark underground utility lines with flags, spray paint or both.

Request for the marking can also be entered online. Nationally, an underground utility line is damaged every six minutes because someone didn't ask about buried utility lines at least two business days before digging. That's according to a news release from Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power.

State law requires such a call (or online request) for both homeowners and contractors, even for relatively minor digging projects such as setting a fencepost..